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Earth Science Collection

Discover the diversity in the Earth Science Collection.

Welcome to the Earth Science Collection, a library of resources for educators and the public interested in learning more about the diverse science disciplines that help us understand the earth's unique polar regions. The field of earth science has overlap into many disciplines and can include geology, oceanography, glaciology, and meteorology.

The Collection includes individual activities, lesson plans, journal entries, videos, and presentations that will educate the next generation about this complex field of study. All materials are created and compiled by world-class educators participating in authentic scientific research in the polar regions through PolarTREC expeditions.

Earth Science Resources

Overview
This lesson/project/lab has students predict via multiple drawings and time lapse photography predictive Flubber flow before the placement of barriers and other obstacles in front of the Flubber. Contour lines in two directions are drawn on both the paper prediction and the Flubber for comparison purposes.
Following predictive drawing completion glacier flow (Flubber flow), with...

Overview
Ground penetrating radar is an important tool for studying glacier dynamics. Glacier scientists use GPR images to analyze attributes of glaciers. The following research activity will familiarize students with the basics of the different types of glaciers and their dynamics along with ground penetrating radar and its use in glacier studies.
Goals/Objectives
Students will know the...

The attached PDF contains 5 different lessons and lab activities for high school earth science, environmental science and biology classes. The focus is on permafrost and related topics including the earth’s carbon cycle, the greenhouse effect, climate change, and aqueous geochemistry. The diagrams and photographs included in this manual, along with additional visual materials, are included in the...

Overview
Scientists use bathymetry to understand the ocean floor. This lesson is a basic introduction to bathymetry using salad trays to help students understand how bathymetric maps work.
Objectives
Students will be able to identify the advantages to using a bathymetric map.
Students will be able to transform a bathymetric map into a three-dimensional model.
Using just a bathymetric map,...

Spanish Article Title: Profesor puertorriqueño participará en una misión científica en la Antártida
An EFE wire service news story published in Primera Hora, about Armando Caussade heading to the South Pole as part of the IceCube project. This resource is in Spanish.
This story was also published in: Índice PR, El Expresso de Puerto Rico, MSN Latino, Fox News Latino, Vida Latina San Diego,...

Spanish Article Title: Profesor puertorriqueño realizará investigaciones en el Polo Sur
A news story from Mi Puerto Rico Verde (online environmental news) about Armando Caussade heading to the South Pole as part of the IceCube project. This resource is in Spanish.

Spanish Article Title: Sondeando los confines del universo detectando neutrinos
A Diario de Puerto Rico news story about Armando Caussade heading to the South Pole as part of the IceCube project. Also published in Telemundo Puerto Rico (WKAQ-TV channel 2). This resource is in Spanish.

Spanish Article Title: Profesor puertorriqueño investigará en la Antártida
A NotiCel news story about Armando Caussade heading to the South Pole as part of the IceCube project. This resource is in Spanish.

Overview
Exploration of the Antarctic continent did not occur until the late 1800’s, and the South Pole was first reached on December 14, 1911. Courage, planning, and technology have been the main components of Antarctic exploration from the earliest days. This classroom activity is designed to highlight the historical elements of the past 100 years of exploration in Antarctica and provide...

102 men and women received the United States government's highest honor for scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers--the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). The National Science Foundation (NSF) nominated 20 of the awardees, including PolarTREC researcher Samantha Hansen.

This graphic is a summit ice core timeline depicting the phenomena that as we drill deeper ice cores, the ice gets older. The graphic compares this timeframe with major milestones in history. It is a concept developed by Zoe Courville and Dr. Mary Albert at Dartmouth University, in partnership with CRREL (Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory).

Researchers aboard NASA's P-3 research aircraft left Virginia, March 10 for Greenland to begin a new season of collecting data on Arctic land and sea ice. The mission, known as Operation IceBridge, is to gather data on changes to polar ice. PolarTREC teacher Russell Hood will join the expedition in Greenland this spring.

This video clip from from Alabama TV 13 News profiles PolarTREC researcher Dr. Samantha Hansen's work studying the history of landforms in Antarctica. Dr. Hansen will be one of a hundred scientists to be awarded the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers.

President Obama recently named 102 researchers as recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States Government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers. Researcher Samantha Hansen, who worked for two field seasons in Antarctic with PolarTREC teacher Brian DuBay...

Skidompha Public Library's Chats with Champions speaker program hosted well-known Nobleboro Central School teacher Ken Williams and his former student Seth Campbell at the library's Porter Meeting Hall at 2 PM on Saturday, January 11, 2014.
The two explained the unofficial title of their presentation: "Student finally hands in 1989 homework assignment to Nobleboro teacher at 14,000 feet in...

This PowerPoint presentation could be used as part of an introductory or supplementary unit on Antarctica. The presentation includes stunning visuals and general facts about Antarctica.
Jeanine Gelhaus <gelhaje [at] medford [dot] k12 [dot] wi [dot] us> Capstone Project Fall 2013. Integrated Life and Earth Sciences in the Polar Regions.

This presentation is designed to supplement an eighth grade science unit on polar ice but could easily be used for other audiences. The presentation covers the differences between ice in the Arctic and Antarctica, how ice affects salinity, temperature and currents, an exploration of various ice types and a summary of current research efforts to study polar ice.
Jeanine Gelhaus <gelhaje [at]...

Overview
Through investigation, you will determine which solution has the highest density.
Objective
To determine, through experimentation, which of a variety of solutions has the highest density.
Preparation
Background: The waters of the ocean are constantly moving in many different ways. The surface of the ocean rises and falls in rhythm. These movements, in the form of waves, include the...

Overview
This lesson includes a variety of research activities and a lab that all help demonstrate the science behind convection currents.
Objectives
Through the following activities and lab students will discover:
that temperature and salinity affect the density of fluids (liquids and gases)
how fluids with different densities interact with each other
Lesson Preparation
Background: How...

Overview
Antarctica is the coldest, driest place on Earth with a fairly limited number of native species which have adapted to these extreme conditions over millions of years. As a result, it's not very likely that a non-native species would survive there . . . right? Actually ever since exploration and exploitation of the Antarctic region began in the 1800's, new species have been showing up,...

This site is supported by the National Science Foundation under award 0956825.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this site are those of the PIs and coordinating team and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.